Conveyer.



J. W. RENO.

CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10. I915.

1,1?8,102 Patented Apr. 4,1910.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE W. RENO. OF NEW YORK. N. Y.. ASSIGNOR TO OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANYJOF JERSEY CITY, NE'W JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONVEYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Be it knownthat I. li-issn \Y. RENO, a citizen of the l'f'nited States, residing in New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented'a new and use ful Improvement in Convevers, of which the following is a specification.

My intention relates to inclined endless conveyers, and has to do with certain improvements in conve "ers more particularly of the type covered by a patent granted-to Ine April 10, 1906, and being numbered 817,338. i

Essentially the invention consists in certain modifications in coi'istruction and arrangement of parts, as will adapt the conveyer for a single chain drive, instead of a two chain drive as sho\\'nin the patent above noted, such changes in etlect tending toward simplicity and chcapness, and more particularly overcoming certain objectionable features accom ninying a two chain drive, which objectionable features will be pointed out fully hereim' l'ter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates in longitudinal section, a side view of a conveyer constructed in accordance with my present invention: Fig. 2 illustrates in section, an end view of the upper and return orlower run of the conveyer; Fig. 3 illustrates in plan view, a portion of the conveyer with certain parts removed; and Fig. l is a somewhat enlarged plan view of a portion of the driving chain together with certain other parts The eonveyer comprises a series of steps A, which form tan endless movable tread platform connecting dillerent lloor levels I; and (l. The tread surl'ace proper ot' eaeh step is of the well hnown t vpe comprising J longitudinal cleats l). which are suitably secured to a suitable horizontal web I). the cleats being so spaced as to produce shallow ,grooves E therein-tween. The usual form of comb lanl'lings l are provided at the llool levels. the landings having teeth or'prongs adapted to register with the grooves i of the steps.

The front ends l)" ol' the cleats I) extend some distance. beyond the front edge of the supporting web. ashvill be seen from Figs. 1 and 3, and enter vertical grooves or slots (l of a riser Tl, the grooves being produced by the formation of ribs .l on the front of the riser web II.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

March 10, 1915. Serial No. 13,303.

It will thus far he seenthat the cleats D form the treadsnrface. proper of the step, and the front edges of the ribs J form the risers thereof. It will further be seen that the ribs .l are in staggered relatioirwith the cleats I) firming the tread surface, or in other words the rilrs Jare in alinement with grooves I), and the forward ends I) of the tread cl *ats extend into the groovesG. The purpose of thisconstrIKftiOll, as is pointed out in the patent heretofore referred to, iS to prevent the passengers foot 0 apparel frcm entering and becoming caught between the back edgeof one step and the riser of another, especially as the steps are changing their relative positions in passing to or from a lai'iding.

Each step is sumiortedby a pair of inner truck wheels K, and outer trnck wheels K, adapted to travel respectively on suitable track rails such as L, L; The track rails are arranged in a well'known manner to form a horizontal 'run at the landings and an incline run between the landings. The inner truck wheels K are. mounted on pins secured in hubs 1, which may form an integral 'part of the riser web 11. The outer truck wheels are carried by means of a yoke M. the latter being provided at its outer ends with axles on which are mounted the outer wheels. The yoke M is attached to the horizontal web by means of a pin connection 3. the said web on'its under side having lugs -l, fitting between lugs 25 on the yoke, the pins 3 engaging the lugs 4, and thus forming a suitable pivotal connection between the step tread and the yoke M;

Now as before stated herein, there provvided in the present instance, but a single driving chain. the use of only a single chain being preferable to a double or two chain drive for particular reasons which I will now point out. The main objectionto the employment of a two chain drive, resides in the objectionable see saw movement of the steps, which results by reason of the unequal? load distribution thereon. It has been found that the live load as a general rule, becomes concentrated on one side of the conveyor, thus throwing the load on only one of the; driving chains, and under such conditions the driving action of the two chains tends to produce a see saw movement of the steps. In the present instance the driving chain, designated by the reference letter P is positioned on a practical center, coinciding with the center line of the conveyor.

The driving chaincomprises a series of links 5, which are ccnnccted by pins 6 to form an endless chain, the same passing around a pair of sprccket wheels 7 at the upper and lower landings. Either one or both of these sprocket whe is may be driven from any suitable source of power.

Now in order to adapt my present type of cc'nveyer to a single chain drive, I resort to a modified construction of certain of the parts, the most essential modification being to crnstruct the riser to accommodate the driving chain. In the way of accomplishing this result, I provide a cut out portion such as 7' in the riser web H, as is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. \Vith this construction the riser, by reason of the cut out portion, is permitted to straddle the chain (see Figs. 2 and 4.), thus permitting free and proper movement of the steps without interference between the riser and chain, which interference would otherwise exist, particularly on the horizontal run of the steps and also as theypass around the sprocket wheels, as will be noted by reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

The front or forward end of the steps, that is relatively to the direction of movement, are pivctally connected to the driving chain, the latter, to be more specific, being attached to the yoke M of each step, by means of special pins such as 8, which are b'ltcd to a web forming an integral part of the yoke M.

In the way of preventing wear or friction between the side or lateral faces of the driving chain and ribs J forming the riser, I provide a pair of antifricticn rollers 9 (see Fig. 4) which are contained in such links of: the chain as straddle the riser portion, these rollers projecting somewhat beyond the lateral face of the link, and hearing against the lateral face of the riser.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An endless conveyer comprising a step connected to a single driving chain and having its riser adapted to straddle the chain.

2. An endless conveyor comprising a step.

, a yoke connected to the front end of the step,

and a single driving chain connected to the yoke.

3. An endless conveyer comprising a step, a yoke connected to the front end of the step, the yoke bearing a pair of truck wheels, and a single driving chain connected to the yoke.

4. An endless conveyor comprising a step pivotally connected to a single driving chain, the riser of the step being constructed to accommodate the chain.

5. An endless conveyor comprising a step pivotally connected at one end to a single driving chain disposed approximately on the longitudinal center line of the step.

(5. An endless ccnveyer comprising a step having a vertically grooved riser, and a single driving chain pivotally connected to the step, the riser having a cut-out portion to accommodate the chain.

-7. An endless conveyor comprising a step pivctally connected at its front end to a single driving chain disposed on approximately the longitudinal center line of the step, the riser having a cutout portion to accommodate the chain.

8. In an endless conveyor, a step having a riser provided with slots adapted to register with projections formed on the tread of an adjacent step, and a single driving chain pivotally connected to the front end of: the step.

9. In an endless conveyer, a step formed of a horizontal web for a tread, a transverse web for the riser, and a single driving chain connected to the front end of the horizontal web.

' 10. In an endless conveyor, a step formed of a horizontal web for a tread, a. transverse web for the riser, and a single endless chain connected to the front end of the horizontal web, the riser being constructed to straddle the chain.

11. In an endless conveyor, a step having longitudinal grooves on its tread surface and vertical grooves in its riser in staggered relation t0 the grooves in said tread surface, and a single endless chain pivotally connected to the said step, the riser being constrncted to straddle the chain.

12. In an endless come or, u .tcp formed of a horizontal web, a yoke connected to the front end of the web, and a single driving chain connected to the yoke.

13. In an endless conveyor, a step having a longitudinally grooved tread surface, and a vertically grooved riser, a yoke connected to the front end of the step, and a single driving chain pivotally connected to the yoke, the riser being constructed to straddle the chain.

14. In an endless conveyor, a step provided with a pair of truck wheels at either end of the step, the said tru'k wheels being mounted cxteriorly of the trend, and a yoke supporting one pair of the truck wheels.

15. In an endless conveyor, a step provided with. a pair of truck wheels at either end of the step, and a transverse yoke supporting one pair of the truck wheels.

16. In an endless conveyor, a step provided with a pair of truck wheels at either end of the step, and a yoke connected to the front end of the step, said yoke supporting one pair of truck wheels. and bearings forming a part of the riser, for supporting the other pair of truck wheels.

17. In an endless conveyor, a step providcd with a pair of truck win 215 at either end of the step. pins carried av the'riser, for supporting one pair of truck Wheels. a transverse yoke connected to the step, for snp 'iorting the other p-iir of truck wheels, and a single driving chain connected to the yoke. i

1%. In anendless ccnveyer, a step connected to a drivingchain and having its riser straddling the said chain, and means for overcoming friction between the lateral faces of the chain and riser.

19. In an endless conveyer, a step connected to a driving chain and having its riser straddling the "aid chain, and an antifriction rollerinterposed between the lateral faces of the riser andsaid chain.

'20. In an endless conveyer, a step connected to a driving chain and having its riser straddling the said chain, and an antifriction roller carriedby the chain and hearing against the lateral face of the riser.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my,

name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JESSE W. RENO.

Witnesses:

EDGAR \V. SMITH, James G. BETHELL. 

